


Adzâru-Fahani'ugbal

by lferion



Series: Iron and Light [25]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe of an Alternate Universe, Books, Dwarf Culture & Customs, Dwarf Gender Concepts, Gen, Khazâd November, Power of Words
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-05-11
Packaged: 2018-10-30 13:46:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10878036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lferion/pseuds/lferion
Summary: Ori and a particular page in The Book of Durin





	Adzâru-Fahani'ugbal

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Glorfindel (Zana)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zana/gifts).



> Thanks go to Zana & Morgynleri for encouragement & sanity-checking. Part of Iron & Light. Title means 'Repair of the/a Greater Book'
> 
> Originally posted [here](http://lferion.tumblr.com/post/153895166160/khazad-november-ori) on Tumblr for Day 30 of Khazâd November.
> 
> At some point I will finish and post the scene that immediate precedes this one....

* * *

Ori looked down at the page Thorin had been staring at as if the ink itself had betrayed him. Oh. Because it had. That wasn't right. 

(Well, it was accurate in a certain _technical_ sense — _most_ people born with female parts were female, as Dori had once taken pains to explain, “and I am only going to say this _once_ mind you, it's a Courtesan’s Guild Mystery, and I shouldn't be telling you at all, but Scholar and Scribes Guild must have it down in their books _somewhere_ , so you’d learn it anyway, in a properly ordered world. _Most_ people born with female parts are female in heart and mind and spirit as well as body, but not _all_. Some very few are _male_ in everything but body, or neither, or some alloy of possible genders. And likewise there are people who are _female_ (or neither, or an alloy) in bodies with male parts. It is of great distress for them, and the kindest, best thing to do is to treat them as they appear, use their preferred form of address, and allow them their privacy, just as I hope you would _any_ Dwarf. If mention of body-form must be made, ask yourself if it is necessary, or merely _customary_. In a medical situation, it may be necessary to be physically precise, for proper care, but there is never call to be rude about pronouns. ‘Child of so-and-so’ is always acceptable, and _true_ , where ‘son of’ or ‘daughter of’ might be neither. Do you understand?”

Ori had understood, in a ‘this is important information, but not really connected to anything relevant to himself' way, except as it did answer the puzzling question about Oropher II of Belegost. Sort of.

Now he understood in a much more immediate way. “Dwalin, daughter of Fundin” might be some-physical-detail accurate, but it wasn't _true_. And it was far more important that the Book of Durin be _true_. And hadn't Balin given him responsibility for restoring and updating it? So this page went on his list of urgent repairs; he was already planning the new layout and the inks and embellishments. He'd leave room for possible partners and so forth as well, which the previous scribe thoughtlessly had not. If only Taelin were here, she would enjoy the challenge of it all. And she could help him with some of the updating. He’d have to talk to Oin, to be entirely _sure_ , but Ori already knew he was going to make it right.

* * *


End file.
